Being a pet parent comes with a lot of responsibility. Just like children, one of the most important gifts you can give your pet is conditioning, or as they say in the business: training. It’s a rare dog (or any pet really) that will turn down a treat. Er go, providing small treats as little rewards for the behaviors you want from your pup is the best way to go. But treat training shouldn’t just happen in the house for the typical ‘sit’ commands. You want to condition your pup to respond in a variety of experiences – so get outside, where the action is and practice, practice, practice. To do this you’ll want an efficient, sturdy, and useful carry-all. Here’s what to look for in a dog treat training pouch. Got Dog Will Travel: What To Look For In A Dog Treat Training Pouch Akin to your special backpack or purse or iPhone case, features make or break a good dog treat training pouch. Small, efficient, rugged, and with an eye towards design make for a quality pouch. Here is what we look for in a dog treat training pouch, regardless of brand. Quality Materials: Not only do you want your dog treat training pouch to last a long time, you want it to hold up to the wear and tear, tug and pull, everyday use that comes with constant positive conditioning of your doggo. Easy-to-clean materials (bonus points for pull out liners) that are durable and yet easy to maneuver for folding into backs of cars or any time you travel. Ergonomics and Capacity: While ensuring you have enough treats is important, if...

We have shared almost our entire life with dogs. That’s a lot of years… And a lot of dogs! We wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ve adopted rescue pups, shelter dogs, cast aways, ex-show dogs, and even seniors. We’ve learned a thing or two from opening our home and our hearts to dogs. The one thing that always catches us off guard about dogs? When one ‘suddenly’ becomes a senior!! Not literally – it’s like our own lives, we’re just living it and all of a sudden we’re in our 50’s! What happened? Seems like just yesterday we were kids. It’s like that for dogs too – one day a pup, next day a thriving adult dog, and then suddenly, the slowing down and aches and pains your dog experiences as he gets older. The struggle is real people! I should know, I’m managing the aches and pains of aging myself. I try different supplements and alternative therapies. Spike, our 12-year old Chihuahua, and I are in the battle together – my 5 pound fluffy, little compadre! Unlike me, Spike-oh (as I like call him) has some pretty severe issues. IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) has seeped into the little guy’s life, causing aches, pains, arthritis, and spine damage. Surgery really isn’t an option – neurologists are frank that Spike’s size, age, and condition create a sizable chance that he would be left much worse off…if he lived. So, we’ve turned to alternative therapies, including CBD. How hemp and CBD products can help UR dog w/aches, pains, arthritis!! #CBD Click To Tweet What Is CBD and How Does CBD...

Today PetSmart® announced the launch of its new “Buy a Bag, Give a Meal™” program, where for every bag of dog or cat food purchased online and at all its 1,500-plus stores across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, the leading pet specialty retailer will donate a meal to a pet in need. The program runs March 1-Dec. 31, 2017, and PetSmart expects to donate more than 60 million meals! To read the full PetSmart “Buy a Bag, Give a Meal” press release, go here. This post is sponsored by PetSmart® and the BlogPaws™ Pet Influencer Network™. PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article. PetSmart? Yup, PetSmart – Go to One Near You & Buy Some Pet Food Today! Help @PetSmart get info out: Buy a bag, they’ll give a bag 2animals in need! #fortheloveofpets #ad Click To Tweet “At PetSmart we love pets and we believe they make us better people. To celebrate our 30 years of continued commitment to helping pets in need every day and as a trusted partner to pet parents everywhere, we want to celebrate by giving back even more,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “Throughout 2017, every time pet parents purchase any bag of dog or cat food in our stores or online, they can rest assured they are also helping feed pets in need. When their pets eat, pets in need eat, too. It’s that simple.” Buy A Bag of Pet Food and PetSmart Will Give A Bag To Animals In Need This is made possible through the PetSmart Buy A Bag, Give A Meal program and will help...

This post is sponsored by Oratene® and the BlogPawsTM Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to share information about Oratene brushless pet oral care products for Pet Dental Health Month! We only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Oratene is not responsible for the content of this article. You ever bent down to smooch your pooch, only to get a face full of funk? Staink….what in the heck is going on? My dogs eat organic raw or food that does not upset their tummies. So, I know that they are getting the best of everything to help with their nutrition, and ultimately their gum and teeth health. But what in the heck is all the teeth staink about? To be honest, I have not found staink with my raw eaters too much – that diet can help with pH balance of their tummies, so their breath smells decent. But, they can still get funky teeth. So what gives? Tartar! Yup, dog’s teeth are just like humans – tartar, build up, typical day-in-and-day-out eating, it’s all going to go into your dog’s daily tooth health and…well, you’ll want to make your dog’s mouth more of a wonderland! What Causes My Dog’s Mouth to Staink? Life…life has made your dog’s mouth a stainkland. But why? Just like your mouth, you can’t just go day-after-day, not brushing your teeth and think your breath won’t smell! Ultimately your dog, just like you, will develop gum disease. Tooth decay leads to a lot of diseases…heart disease to name one. And yup, dog’s develop heart disease. So whether your dog likes it or...

This post is sponsored by Virbac® SENTINEL® SPECTRUM® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. All compensation received through this campaign awareness about protection against common parasites found in dogs, is a part of our giving campaign to animal rescues, shelters, and spay and neutering. Here at MattieDog® we only share information we feel is relevant to you, our readers. To learn more about this product, click here. Virbac is not responsible for the content of this article: Save Bucks and Poo on Parasites! #SentinelSpectrum Save Bucks – Yup, And Even ‘Poo’ on Parasites With a Rebate! When it comes to money who doesn’t want to save money? Nobody has money to burn – so here’s my secret. I like things easy, cost effective, and that work. That’s why we truly are enjoying SENTINEL® SPECTRUM®, it is one of the easiest preventative treatments you’ll ever give your pup – and there’s a rebate up to $25 to boot! We dig saving money – honestly, in this day and age, who doesn’t? So join us, save bucks and poo on parasites with #SentinelSpectrum! SENTINEL SPECTRUM is a ‘flavor ta style chew that will your dog will happily take each month – bacon or beef flavor, if your dogs are like mine, they will consider it just like any other tasty treat. No need to ‘hide’ it in something else, the flavor is enticing. To make things easy for busy pet parents juggling a number competing priorities, SENTINEL thoughtfully created a monthly text reminder, so heck it even gets easier – check it out here, we just love it! But Come On Now, What Makes...

You want to know why I hate lawn sprinklers? Because my dog loves them….and he is a long hair, full coat Shih Tzu, that’s why! My dog goes nuts whenever he hears the electric click that indicates that the automatic lawn sprinkling system is about to start. I mean full excite-oh-mania mode! Now, we’ve shared our lives with about eight other dogs with seven of them being Shih Tzus – not a single one prior to our current fuzzy pup ever got close to water…unless you count the bath time. Not this one – Mook loves rivers, streams, mud puddles, and he puts his face in the lawn sprinkler and chews at the water just like a Labrador. This doesn’t just happen once in a while, it’s every warm day when we are walking around the neighborhood and he spots lawn sprinklers! Mook likes to play in lawn sprinklers, day after day, three times a day… it can get to be much, specially as his wet hair picks up dirt and grit that builds up, not coming out until I wash him. Great, not only does it take a bit of time to wash and dry my sweet little boy – now I’ve got to clean the tub. Oh, who am I kidding – I love the little guy, and he can’t help himself, so what’s a dog mom to do? Scrub, scrub, scrub and then pray the drain doesn’t clog! Recently, we’ve been using Liquid-Plumr to help maintain our drains, help prevent new clogs, and to keep them smelling fresh – it cleans up the shampoo and creme...